Why are some tours to Mongolia so expensive? How to Plan a Cheap Trip to Mongolia
Tours to Mongolia can be expensive. Here are our top tips for finding cheap tour operators, experiences, and places to stay in Mongolia.
Table of Contents
I get it, trips to Mongolia with many tour operators are expensive. In fact, the small-group tours we run, for example, cost between $2,300 USD and $5,500 per person. Add in international flights, purchasing gear for your adventure, and travel insurance and the total cost for a trip to Mongolia can easily double in price.
It’s not that we are trying to capitalize on Mongolia, it’s that in all honesty, running a boutique tour company here is not cheap.
Our company has an office in Ulaanbaatar, employees we pay year-round, taxes, association rates, company insurance, and plenty of other overhead. These are expenses we pay 12 months a year, despite our “busy” tour season being only around four months, from June to September. A time that we have to make the most of.
On top of that, we pay fair, and usually higher than average rates, to our guides, drivers, host families, and everyone else we work with. I’m not saying this to brag, I’m saying it because I want everyone to know that we want the people who work with us to benefit as much as we do. We aren’t always perfect at this, but it is something we are keenly aware of and it’s a deep-rooted part of our company’s mission. I will leave it that.
Alas, this isn’t a lesson on running a tour business in Mongolia. This is a blog post on how to find cheap tours in Mongolia. Just because you don’t book a tour with us doesn’t mean we aren’t super excited to have you visit Mongolia with someone else. Everyone is welcome here. And we mean everyone!
We completely understand that our tours don’t fit into everyone’s budget. And that’s okay! My local team and myself still encourage you to travel here. Here’s how you can visit Mongolia on a budget.
If you’re looking for my top recommended budget tours with links, scroll to the bottom of the post.
Are you planning your trip last minute?
🚕 Book a Cheap Airport Transfer (great, budget-friendly option when landing in Mongolia)
🛌 Best Places to Stay:
Hostel One (favorite overall hostel with central location and clean facilities)
Urgoo Hotel (local boutique hotel with clean rooms and great location)
H9 Hotel Nine (boutique hotel located next to Sukhbaatar Square)
👉 Top Things to Do in Ulaanbaatar:
Cooking Class in a Local Home (unique way to spend a day and meet a local family!)
Mongolian Calligraphy Class: 1-Hour Lesson (try your hand at traditional Mongolian script)
Ulaanbaatar City Tour (best way to get to know the city with a local guide)
Ride a Mongol Horse (a quintessential Mongolia experience)
Rent a Mountain Bike in Ulaanbaatar (explore Ulaanbaatar and the areas around it differently)
🐴 Best Trips to Book to Experience Mongolia:
Kharkhorin, Khustai, Mini Gobi & Ger Under the Stars: 3-Day Tour (see the largest population of wild horses in the world)
Best of Mongolia 5-day Trip (check off the quintessential Mongolia experiences to have)
7 days Central Mongolia and Great Gobi Experience (the best tour for seeing the famous Gobi Desert)
Why are tours in Mongolia so expensive?
Let’s start with the most asked question we get from travelers. Why are tours to Mongolia so expensive?
As someone who has lived here for eight years, there are a few reasons why I believe tours in Mongolia are expensive. These are just my opinions and not a completely exhaustive list of reasons but let me break it down as simply as I can.
First, infrastructure in Mongolia is terrible. Roads are lacking, there aren’t enough public rest stops and restrooms, you can go for hundreds of kilometers without seeing a petrol station, and good luck finding a restaurant who can cater to special dietary restrictions when you’re in the remote countryside. And good luck with the high-priced, sporadic domestic flights that only go to a few destinations around the country.
Those things alone make it difficult, and expensive, to take foreigners on a comfortable journey.
Let me give you one common example. In western Mongolia, one of the more popular driving routes doesn’t have an abundance of restaurant options. That means the tour company must hire a private cook to travel with you, cooking and packing meals to stop and eat along the journey.
The cook then needs to have all the proper equipment, purchase expensive imported foods (especially fruits and vegetables), and they’ll need to have everything to serve you comfortably (utensils, plates, cups, tables, chairs) no matter where you are. Your private cook will also need somewhere to sleep, and then there’s another person (with luggage and equipment) taking up already tight space in the car. Those costs add up.
Second, in Mongolia the cost of things is not always as cheap as people think. There is also a lack of consistency with quality and service, and rates for most things are usually all over the place. Hotels are a great example of this.
People are often surprised by the price of hotels in Mongolia. Because we have such a short tourism season, hotels try to make the most of the high season in June, July, and August by having nightly rates at a premium. Revenue generated in these three months carries the burden of the costs of operating the hotel throughout the entire year.
In the end, tour companies feel the pressure of these higher operating costs since they have smaller booking numbers and have to pass these expenses onto their clients.
This isn’t an all-inclusive list, but it should help you start to understand why tours in Mongolia are often more expensive than expected.
Biggest Money Saving Tip: Don’t Travel Alone
In Mongolia, the more people you book on a private tour, the cheaper the price per person becomes. Often, tour companies use dynamic pricing and not a fixed rate per person.
Because we don’t have mass tourism in a sense, almost all experiences are booked as private tours. Unless you are joining a group with predetermined departure dates, which is the best money-saving option when you’re traveling solo, almost all tour companies offer private tours that can be booked anytime.
Why does the cost for a private tour go down with more people? Isn’t it a fixed cost? The answer is no.
That’s because most tours have flat costs like a guide, driver, and gas. The more people who you book the tour for, the more people who split those flat costs. Tour companies take that into consideration to give their clients the best rate possible based on the number of people who will split those costs.
At ger camps, the more people you’re booking for, also the better!
Ger camps are made for larger groups because gers are the perfect structures for it! At a ger camp, expect each ger room to be able to comfortably sleep between 2 and 5 people. If the ger is a fixed cost, splitting that overnight rate between 5 people, instead of 2, is a much better deal!
Unfortunately, if you’re traveling solo, your costs are going to highest. Again, unless you join a group (like the small group tours we host!), you’re paying all of the flat costs yourself instead of splitting them with others.
The ideal group size for the best tour price in Mongolia is 5 people. If you travel with a group of friends, you should plan to be a group of 4 to 5. This is the sweet spot for getting the best price quote on a tour!
Keep in mind these are very general rules of thumb. Again, there are a lot of factors that I haven’t touched on to keep this explanation as simple as possible.
Traveling on a Budget? When You Travel Matters
July and August are the two most expensive months to travel to Mongolia. If you are traveling on a budget, do not travel to Mongolia during these months.
May, June and September are fantastic months to travel on Mongolia if you’re worried about your daily costs and expenses. The weather is warm and comfortable in the day, but cold at night. Almost all hotels and ger camps are open, but you should check with them first to confirm.
Because of Mongolia’s tough winter temperatures, most hotels and ger camps outside of Ulaanbaatar (except in Terelj) close for the winter. That means they close in September and reopen in May. You will need to plan your trip carefully and make sure to contact each hotel or ger camp ahead of time.
Families also move to their winter camps, which also limits who and where you can stay with for a homestay experience.
Traveling in Mongolian winter isn’t the cheapest time to travel here, but it’s not the most expensive time either. Logistics for traveling to Mongolia in the winter can be more difficult thanks to the extreme cold and deep snow. However, many guides and drivers are available and looking for work during this time. Hotels also have very low occupancy, which also results in bigger savings for travelers.
Overall, May, June, and September are the best and cheapest months to travel to Mongolia. You’ll still have your pick of great ger camps and host families to stay with, the weather is agreeable, and overall prices are at their most budget friendly.
Cheap Tours to Book When You Can't Afford a Meanwhile in Mongolia Tour
Now, the good stuff. Forget the fact that I founded a Mongolian tour company in 2020. For the last 12 years I’ve also been a travel journalist, reporting on the best travel experiences around the world. So yeah, I know a thing or two about travel in general.
Additionally, since all international flights land in Ulaanbaatar, bookmark this free things to do in Ulaanbaatar travel guide →
When you click on the links below, they will open on a page on Viator. These are trusted, local companies – but you should also read each traveler’s review to make sure it’s the right experience for you. Each link will open to a general tour page and then click the “you selected” first tour option.
Book an Inexpensive Airport Transfer
🛬 Top-rated Private Airport Transfer from Chinggis Khaan International Airport $22.50 (these guys are great and reliable, I recommend them to everyone who travels here)
Best Low-Cost Ulaanbaatar City Tours
✍ Secrets of the Mongol Script: 1-Hour Script Experience $49 (a fascinating way to spend an hour while learning about the history of the Mongolian script that was almost extinct)
🧥 Visit the Black Market with a Local $65 (the Black Market, also called Narantuul, is where all the locals shop, so it’s where you want to shop too)
📷 Private Ulaanbaatar City Tour with an Expert Local Guide $125 (there are so many nooks and crannies to explore in Ulaanbaatar, but you need to know where to look – which is why you need a guide)
🥟 Cooking Class in a Traditional Ger in the Ger District $182 (a cultural experience that’s more like being invited in like family to someone’s home)
Can’t Miss Day Tours from Ulaanbaatar on a Budget
🤳 Genghis Khaan Equestrian Statue ONLY $65 (if you only want a selfie with Chinggis himself, this tour takes you there and back to Ulaanbaatar in just a few hours)
🚐 Genghis Khan Equestrian Statue + Terelj Day Tour $120 (spend the whole day and see the famous statue as well as Gorkhi-Terelj National park, eat buuz in a local family’s ger, and you can also horse ride)
🐎 Khustai National Park + Mongol Nomadic Camp Day Tour $244 (not the cheapest of these day trips, but this is the only place to see the world’s last truly wild horses and the Mongol Nomadic Camp is a can’t miss for its daily cultural shows that really give you a taste of nomadic life)
🐫 1-day Mini Gobi Camel Riding Tour $145.58 (be prepared for a long journey there and back, but if riding a two-humped Bactrian camel is on your bucket list, this is the fastest, cheapest, and best way to do it)
🗻 Bogd Khan National Park Hiking Day Trip $154 (personally I love this hike because it’s just on the outskirts of the city and the top of the hike rewards you with a view of Ulaanbaatar you won’t get anywhere else)
🐴 Horseback Riding Tour to Turtle Rock & Aryabala Meditation Center $150 (for riding enthusiasts and equestrians, there’s no better way to see and feel Mongolia than atop a Mongolian horse)
🐾 Winter Only: 1-day Dog Sledding in Gorkhi-Terelj National Park $276 (when winter hits Mongolia, this becomes the coolest, cutest, and most cuddly way to see the Mongolian countryside just outside of Ulaanbaatar)
Western Mongolia Tours for a Great Price (for the Outdoor Lovers!)
🧗 7-day Altai Tavan Bogd National Park Hiking Tour $1,800 (for outdoor and nature-loving travelers, this is the best trip to witness the natural beauty of western Mongolia)
🦅 11-day Eagle Hunter Tour $2,460 (you can’t beat this cultural experience, there really is nothing like seeing these Golden Eagles up close and learning about them through the eyes of their ancient caretakers)
Affordable Gobi Desert Tours
📿 Khamariin Hiid Monastery & Shambala Energy Center Spiritual Journey $266 (this unique spiritual journey is the east Gobi’s best kept secret for anyone interested in learning more about Mongolia’s history with Buddhism)
🗿 Gobi Tour 7-days $1,240 (Baga Gazriin Chuluu, Tsagaan Suvarga, Yolyn Am, Khongor Sand Dunes, Bayanzag Flaming Cliffs – this tour hits all the Gobi essentials)
🌌 7-days Central Mongolia and Great Gobi $1,500 (the Gobi Desert is one of the most popular places to visit in Mongolia for a reason – it’s absolutely stunning and this tour takes you to all the places you don’t want to miss)
Budget-friendly Tours to the Reindeer Tribe
🌞 Wonders of Northern Mongolia 15-days $2,985.58 (travel to the most picturesque part of Mongolia for the adventure of a lifetime that involves riding a reindeer!)
Easy Central Mongolia Tours
👉 Mini Gobi and the ancient capital Kharkhorin 4-days $596 (a quick trip to the Mini Gobi is a great trip when you’re short of time and cash but you want to see some of the most interesting sights in Mongolia)
🚙 14-days Central Mongolia and Gobi Desert Journey $2,025 (if you have two weeks to spend exploring Mongolia, this is a great way to do it)
Author: Breanna Wilson
Hi! Sain uu! I’m Breanna, an American travel writer and adventurer living in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia for more than 5 years. I’ve written for and been featured in Condé Nast Traveler, CNN, Forbes, and the New York Times, among others. Read more of my Mongolia travel articles here.
Join my Private Travel Group on Facebook
Proudly Based in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
© 2024 Meanwhile in Mongolia